SPEARFISH, S.D. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team completed their four-game series against Black Hills State University on Sunday, dropping the first game of the day by a score of 3-1 before salvaging a series split with a 7-5 win in the second game of the doubleheader.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 1, BHSU 3 | Game 2: UCCS 7, BHSU 5
Records: UCCS (26-20, 20-15 RMAC), BHSU (23-21, 21-15 RMAC)
Location: Yellow Jacket Field | Spearfish, S.D.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 36-12 all-time against the Yellow Jackets.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE
- The early innings of the game flew by with UCCS starting pitcher Autumn Kunze and BHSU starting pitcher Laci Peskey engaging in a pitcher's duel that saw the two teams held scoreless for the first four innings of play with just one total hit between them.
- After Peskey worked around singles from Edyn Lopez and Katelyn Kilgore in the top of the fifth inning, the Yellow Jackets broke the scoreless tie in their half of the frame as a walk and a bunt single set up Tyler Whitlock for a one-out, three-run home run over the right center field fence.
- With Black Hills State now holding a 3-0 advantage, the Mountain Lions continued to struggle offensively against Peskey as they were held scoreless once again in the top of the sixth inning.
- After Kunze struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth, UCCS came to the plate in their half of the seventh looking to extend the game and had a good start as Halley Redd opened the frame with a double to right center field. Following a strikeout and ground out that moved Redd to third base, pinch-hitter Jacquelynn Siefken entered the game and made an immediate impact as she lined a single up the middle to bring home Redd and make it a 3-1 game. Jennavieve Goldsworth followed Siefken's hit with a single of her own to put the tying runs on base for another pinch-hitter in Katie Steinmetz, but the junior from Chula Vista wound up hitting a fly ball to right field to end the game.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME ONE
- The Mountain Lions recorded six hits and drew one walk while striking out 13 times against Peskey.
- Redd had the lone extra-base hit of the game for UCCS, going 1-for-3 overall with a double.
- Kunze (4-6) took her sixth loss of the season despite a solid overall performance inside the circle in which she allowed three earned runs across six innings with 10 strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO
- After being largely stymied on the offensive end in the first game of the day, the Mountain Lions got off to a quick start in game two as singles by Goldsworth and Gianna Pancost put runners on first and second with just one out in the top of the first inning. With the runners aboard, Steinmetz did her job out of the cleanup spot, poking a double into the right center field gap that gave UCCS an early 1-0 lead. Following a wild pitch that allowed Pancost to score and moved Steinmetz to third base, Laynee Case kept the momentum rolling with an RBI double to right center field that made it a 3-0 game.
- The Yellow Jackets got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the first inning with Whitlock leading off the frame with a single and a stolen base before being brought home on an RBI single by Desi Hernandez.
- After a scoreless second inning on both sides, Hernandez's spot came back around in the lineup for Black Hills State in their half of the third frame and she did damage once again against UCCS starting pitcher Hannah Hunt as she lifted a two-run home run over the center field fence that evened the game at three runs apiece.
- The Mountain Lions worked quickly to regain their advantage as Lopez and Bailey Olerich led off the top of the fourth inning with back-to-back singles and were moved to second and third on a groundout by Goldsworth before both coming across to score on a two-RBI single by Jacqueline Berkowitz.
- Following scoreless outputs from both teams in the fifth and sixth innings, the Mountain Lions added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh frame with an RBI double by McCombs and an RBI single by case extended the UCCS lead to 7-3.
- The insurance runs in the top of the frame turned out to be extremely important as Black Hills State scored a pair of two-out runs against UCCS relief pitcher Kailey Bond to cut their deficit to 7-5. With the tying runners on first and second and two outs in the final inning of play, Mountain Lion head coach Dwight Sanders made the decision to go to the bullpen one more time with freshman Lauren Falk being called upon to attempt to get the last out of the game. Falk delivered for her head coach as she induced a ground ball to second base against the first batter she faced to end the game with the Mountain Lions winning by a score of 7-5.
STATS FROM THE GAME | GAME TWO
- UCCS pounded out 14 hits in the final game of the series with four different players recording multi-hit performances.
- McCombs had a 3-for-4 line at the plate with two doubles and an RBI, while Case and Berkowitz each drove in a pair of runs.
- Hunt (11-4) picked up the win after allowing three earned runs across 4.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts. Bond tossed 2.1 innings and allowed a pair of unearned runs before Falk entered the game to record the final out and secure her fourth save of the season.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Kunze reached double digit strikeouts for the second time this season and now has 67 on the campaign in 67.2 innings pitched. The junior hurler now has 237 strikeouts in her career at UCCS, which ranks seventh all-time for the category.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will return to Colorado Springs for their final home series of the season on April 18-19 as they host Regis University for a crucial four-game conference series. The first 100 fans in attendance throughout the series will receive a free t-shirt as part of White Out Weekend. The Mountain Lions will also celebrate their two graduating seniors with a senior day ceremony following the conclusion of the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
